we cannot but feel that we are called by the Spirit to a very strict and very pure and very holy life. To be members of Christ in truth and in reality, can be no mere form: the sinfulness of sin seems to be doubled, to be trebled in those that by Baptism are grafted into Him; for what is this spiritual engrafting designed to do, except to enable us to bear the fruits of the Spirit, to bring forth grapes, to be fruitful in good works, to shew forth the reality and the value of our union with Christ by the purity of our thoughts and lives?

Only consider the truth of our membership with Christ, of the Holy Ghost dwelling in us, and we see how fearful a thing it must be to let evil thoughts come in or to put our hands to sin. Members of Christ! what have they to do with the works of the devil or of the world? Should the feet which belong to Christ love to tread the places of gay revelling, of frivolous pleasure? Should the tongue which belongs to Christ love vain jesting or angry words? Should the hands which belong to Christ be greedy to get gain and clutch covetously at money? Should the eyes which belong to Christ be dazzled by show and outward appearance of things and dress and luxury? Put the case in this way to yourselves; judge yourself as you would judge a member

of Christ; consider the things naturally fitting, naturally suitable to a member of Christ. This will enable you to see what your duty is, what manner of life you should lead, what thoughts you should cherish, what objects you should love. Say to yourself, "I am a part of Christ;" always think of yourself as a graft inserted into the mystical body of Christ, as a new creature in Christ Jesus, as one born again. This is your real condition; therefore forget not the state into which you have been called; continually ask yourself whether you are loving what a member of Christ should love, or resisting what a member of Christ should resist. Measure your loves, your hatreds, your desires, your pursuits, by the most pure law of Christ, in order that you may not love what Christ hates or hate what Christ loves. Your calling is holy; walk worthy of the vocation; be a fruitful branch, a good and healthful limb, working that which is good; take not the members of Christ and make them the members of a harlot, nor let them commit thefts, nor wound adversaries, nor toil in trifles, nor sport with shadows, nor gather dust. Separate yourself from the world; wrench your affections from visible things, that you may not be separated from Christ.

But what is to be done, you may ask, if after Baptism you have resisted the Spirit in a long course of careless life, if you have spent a careless youth or fallen into worldly or wicked ways? You have indeed in such a case a hard but not a hopeless task. You have a hard task of very deep repentance; you have most earnestly to implore some gracious renewings of the Holy Ghost; you have to hate yourself for your grievings of the Spirit, for your wanderings from Christ. Like St. Peter, go out and weep bitterly; like Mary Magdalene, stand as it were at Jesus' feet, and wash them with your repentant tears; like David, confess that you have sinned; like the publican, beat upon your breast and say, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner;" like the prodigal, arise and go to your Father, and desire a servant's place in His house, and count yourself unworthy to be called His son. In great self-abasement, in sincere sorrow, in deep and unaffected shame, bow yourself before the throne of grace. Devote yourself afresh to God; cast yourself upon His mercy; endeavour by most devoted service to recover the grace of God, to draw down the pity of your Lord, and to move Him to open out by His Spirit the channel of

choked up.

grace which you had This do; this is all that you can

do; God may accept this, though a broken heart be but a worthless gift in itself; He has spoken gracious words to penitents. Only number yourself among penitents, and then there is hope. You may yet be lifted up; you may yet be aided in rising from your sins; you may yet be succoured by the Spirit in attempts to bring forth fruits meet for repentance; you may yet be saved, for your Saviour has not yet passed from the throne of grace to the throne of judgment. Haste then in hope, in trust, in self-accusation, to the mercyseat of God, that you may be forgiven and restored through the merits of your Saviour Jesus Christ.

But O ye young, whose robes are not yet deeply stained with sin, remember your Creator, your Redeemer, your Sanctifier, in the days of your youth. Go not forth into the ways of riotous living; despise not the Spirit which is in you; you are called by Christ to spend a holy youth, and a holy youth is a thing lovely in God's eyes. Refrain your feet from frivolous thoughtless ways, above all from the ways of guilty pleasure and lusts that drown the soul. O sow not to yourselves, for the sake of a few brief pleasures, a harvest of future woe. Trust not your souls to the evil spirit in your youth,

when the Holy Spirit has chosen you to be His for your good. I pray you, cast not away your youth; defile it not; waste it not; but honour God in the days of your strength and health; give Him the best of your life, and think not to satisfy Him with the dregs of the cup; offer up this very day, at this holy time, some such prayer as this.

O Almighty God, who hast called us to be Thy sons, and hast given unto us the Spirit of adoption, we pray Thee to sanctify us wholly with Thy Spirit; enable us to walk in newness of life that we may never depart from Thee. Lead us into all holy ways, and withdraw us from all sin. Give us strength to serve Thee earnestly in our youth, that we may know Thee and love Thee all the days of our life. Suffer not our spiritual life to grow weak. Let not the pleasures of the world dazzle us, nor vain dreams possess our souls. We desire to give Thee our youth. Aid us in conquering all evil appetites, that we may approve ourselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and may daily be prepared for death. O Father, succour us for Thy dear Son Jesus Christ's sake.

JOHN HENRY PARKER, OXFORD AND LONDON.